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THE
BIRDS
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Arguably Hitchcock's
most popular movie --together with Psycho-- The
Birds (1963) is another fine example of Hitchcock's style of pure cinema.
The story is deceptively simple. It should not affect your movie experience
if I let you in on the adventure, even if you have not seen the movie.
The Birds is a not a movie
about birds. The Birds is a movie about people who are terrorized by inexplicable
-- and left unexplained-- attacks by birds.
As with my presentation on
Vertigo, these pages are meant to constitute a new reality of experience,
more clearly than before related to the themes of guilt and innocence.
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In The Birds, a
young, affluent woman falls in love with a down-to-earth, handsome man.
Despite the objections from the man's mother, the two are in the end brought
together. They overcome their differences in personality and background
as well as the horrible tragedy that is their destiny.
The
Liminal Subjects
Melanie Daniels visits
a man she just met, Mitch Brenner, to pay him back for a prank he played
on her. In Bodega Bay, the small town where Mitch spends his weekends,
she meets his mother (played by Jessica Tandy) and his former girlfriend
Annie.
The central subjects
in The Birds are three remarkably strong and intelligent personalities.
As mentioned before, the use of famous actors in Hitchcock's films serves
to raise the viewers' sense of involvement and heightens the impact of
the tragedy the characters in the movie will be confronted with. The fact
that in The Birds the actors also play very strong men and women, in intellectual,
psychological and other respects, further ensures that the viewers will
be left horrified by their tragic destiny and the inescapable terror of
the seemingly senseless bird attacks.
The
Conflict
Soon after Melanie's arrival
in the small town, she meets Annie Hayworth, Mitch's former girlfriend.
The confrontation is crucial to the rest of the movie. Annie's relationship
with Mitch broke off, not because of any fault of their own, but because
of Mitch's interfering and jealous mother. Now, Melanie has arrived to
take Annie's place.
In The Birds, more than
in any other Hitchcock's movie, the characters are at once innocent victims
and guilty for their mischievous doings. Mitch's mother lost her husband,
but caused the break-up of her son's relationship with Annie. Despite his
clear strength and status as new head of the family, Mitch has tolerated
his mother's whims to the detriment of himself as well as Annie. Annie
is a victim of circumstances, but despite the misery she had to endure
she decides to stay in Bodega Bay. Melanie is rich and spoiled.
The
Attack
Starting with some sporadic
attacks, the entire town of Bodega Bay is soon overtaken by attack upon
attack of huge flocks of birds. No one is spared from the horror...
 ....
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click
image for video ( )
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As the birds get
increasingly violent and deadly, the protagonists of the story are drawn
closer and closer together.
The
Punishment She Deserves
While Mitch rescues Melanie,
Annie dies.
Melanie, too, is in the end
overtaken by the terror...
Click
image for a great trailer of The Birds ().
Mathieu
Deflem
DeflemM@yahoo.com
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.This
page is part of Hitchcockonline.org.
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